Chapter 83: Carrying an Old Man Everywhere You Go

The mists circulated around the Fire Peach Tree, manifesting the dwarvish figure of Tao Qingshan.

He said suspiciously, Are you the Sea-Swallowing Kings disciple?

Here is my masters command token. The young Daoist smiled and took out a jade medallion and waved it in the air. It was engraved with clouds that condensed into the character Ge.

Tao Qingshan instantly grew reverent. Please forgive me for not going out to welcome you personally.

Ge Qian put away the medallion. According to my masters estimates, there ought to be ripe Fire Peaches on the tree right about now. Ill have to trouble you to fetch them for me.

Tao Qingshan went rigid, then said hesitantly, I wont lie to you, Young Lord. Youre one step too late. Just two days ago, there were indeed three ripe Fire Peaches, but someone already came and took them away.

Ge Qian frowned. Who took them?

Tao Qingshan hurriedly pointed at the stone stele. Young Lord, please look.

Ge Qian looked over and saw a new line of casually elegant text: On the fourth day of the second month of the Great Zhous calendar, Su Yi took three Fire Peaches and left.

Ge Qians brow furrowed even deeper. Who is this Su Yi?

Tao Qingshans heart quivered. Young Lord, Su Yi is a mystic master possessed of vast supernatural powers. His methods are simply unbelievable; from my perspective, hes like a banished immortal descending upon the mortal plane, a transcendent existence. But Im afraid I dont know his origins.

Ge Qian pondered for a moment, then said, He was well aware that my master claimed this land long ago, yet he still dared leave with the Fire Peaches, and even leave his name upon Masters stone stele? No ordinary man would have the courage to do such a thing.

Young Lord, I dont think Mystic Master Su Yi is wicked, said Tao Qingshan cautiously. He seemed more like an enlightened being. Before he left, he said that if His Excellency the Sea-Swallowing King wishes to blame someone, he should look for him directly.

Hes not even afraid of my master? Surprise arose on Ge Qians face. He thought, then asked, Do you remember what he looks like?

Just a moment, please, said Tao Qingshan hurriedly. He then plucked a green leaf from the Fire Peach Tree and used his fingernail to carve an outline. With a burst of spiritual light, a tall, lean figure appeared on the leafs surface.

He held a bamboo staff and had his hair tied up. He had an ethereal, otherworldly air.

Ge Qian examined the image closely, looking stunned. And here I thought he was an expert of the older generation. Whod have thought hed be a young man?

Tao Qingshan explained, Its also possible that hes mastered the art of eternal youth. After all, someone like Mystic Master Su Yi has long since transcended the ordinary martial artists of the mundane world.

Ge Qian glanced at him. It seems youre rather frightened of this Su Yi?

I wont lie to you, said Tao Qingshan hurriedly. I feel nothing but awe and reverence for Mystic Master Su Yi.

Oh, said Ge Qian. He paused, then shouted, his voice booming like thunder. Tao Qingshan!

The dwarfs body went rigid, and he instinctively looked up, then saw a flash of faint purple light shine in Ge Qians eyes.

Tao Qingshan felt his soul buzz, then he lost all awareness and stood there, frozen.

A hint of barely perceptible exasperation arose on Ge Qians handsome face. Old Man, Ill leave the soul searching up to you. I just want to know if Tao Qingshan is telling the truth or not.

As he said this, something palpitated within his soul. A burst of low, raspy laughter soon followed. In exchange, after you obtain the Pure Yang Fire Peaches, you have to give me half.

Ge Qian twinged in pain. An existence on your level has no need for such low-grade spiritual materials, right?

Its true; I have no need for a tier-four Fire Peach, but those are the rules. My goal is to make you understand: to obtain something, you must first pay the corresponding price.

The raspy voice continued, Work hard, young man! The more you put in, the more youll get out. With me here, you are the chosen son of heaven! Your future accomplishments in the Dao will exceed that master of yours a hundred timesno, a thousand! Im sure of it!

His tone seemed designed to entice.

But Ge Qian merely laughed. Old Man, if you were really all that, what need would you have to seek refuge within my soul? And when Im in front of my master, youre always too scared to even say a peep! Look at you now, bragging like that. Arent you ashamed of yourself?

That raspy voice fell silent, then sighed. Shrimp can torment a dragon in shallow waters, and dogs can bully tigers on open plains. If not for. Forget it, no need to go into that. Those who know me ask about my troubles, while those who dont question my motives!

Ge Qian snickered, then said as if coaxing a small child. Lets get to work now! If you do, Ill give you delicious peaches!

Hmph!

Ge Qian heard a cold snort, then felt a stinging pain in his eyes as whirlpools of purple light surged through his pupils. He fixed his gaze on Tao Qingshan.?A moment later, that raspy voice exclaimed in surprise, sounding grave.

What did you see? Ge Qian asked hurriedly.

After a lengthy silence, the raspy voice responded, That Su Yi is merely a Blood Circulation Realm Youth, not some old monster making himself look young. But

But what? Ge Qian was a little frantic. This was the first time hed seen the old man in his soul dither like this.

Historically, he talked about even Earthly Immortals as if they were beneath his notice.

All I can say is, theres something strange about Su Yi. He likely has secrets no one else knows!

The raspy voice paused, then suddenly suggested, Little fellow, I have a certain premonition that if you overpower Su Yi and force him into submission, you might very well obtain an unexpectedly grand stroke of fortune. How about it? Want to give it a shot?

Ge Qian instantly went on guard, but outwardly, he feigned disinterest. Thats not a good enough reason. Besides, Im a natural-born coward. Even Master says hes never seen anyone so scrupulously cautious in his life. I have to cover my eyes just to kill a chicken.

..... The raspy voice fell briefly silent. But he stole three Fire Peaches. As Ge Changlings disciple, shouldnt you get even with him? How about this? So long as?you go deal?with that Su?Yi, I can make an exception and act directly! Whatever benefits we obtain, we can split fifty-fifty. That ought to be good enough, right?

But this only put Ge Qian more on edge.

He shook his head. Ill report this incident?to Master, and let him decide how to respond.

The raspy voice was clearly frantic. What right does a coward like you have to talk about standing above the world and suppressing all enemies in his path? Feh! Your masters right about you; youre a coward right down to your bones!

Ge Qian merely laughed, not the least bit upset. Ill live longer if I dont play games with my life. Being careful is never a bad thing. If I listen to you and go after Su Yi, and if he has other secrets about him, it wont just be the end of me, Old Man. Your soul will scatter into nothingness too. FiNd pdtes on n()/vln(.)cm

With that, he turned and left the peach orchard. His apricot robes fluttered, but his handsome face was grim.?This was the first time hed seen the old man hiding in his soul so desperate to deal with a youth roughly his age!

This put Ge Qian on guard.

On their way back, the raspy voice fell silent. It seemed hed realized that no matter what he said, it would be almost impossible to change Ge Qians decision.

Su Yi, you stole my masters peaches. Youll definitely pay for this. Perhaps it wont be long before I go looking for you. Ge Qian emerged from the peach orchard, exhaled, then flew away on his immortal crane.

A massive tower boat floated atop the Great Azure River.

The ninth pavilion.

Master Su, this pavilion has two stories. You take the second floor, and well take the first, said Yuan Luoxi crisply.

The tower ship had nine stories, as well as twelve standalone pavilions. Occupying a pavilion wasnt simply a matter of money; it required sufficient connections, too.

Take their pavilion: It was Fu Shans relationship with Zhang Yiren that got them in.

This place is really nice. Huang Qianjun looked around, his heart filled with emotion.

The pavilion only had two stories, but it had its own courtyard, and it was fully furnished and outfitted with daily necessities. The decor had an old-fashioned charm, and from the latticed windows, they had a clear view of the banks of the Great Azure.

How about you stay here too? said Su Yi offhandedly.

I. Huang Qianjun was extremely tempted. His father had spent a lot of money to get him a room aboard the tower ship. His cabin was within the nine stories of the main tower, and it was a first-class room too.

But how could that compare with a stand-alone pavilion?

How about this? The second floor has two rooms. You take one of them.

Why would Su Yi care about such details? He went ahead and made the decision on Huang Qianjuns behalf.

Huang Qianjun instantly beamed. He was so happy, he couldnt help but thank Su Yi repeatedly.

Yuan Luoxi couldnt help but reevaluate him. She realized that Su Yi seemed closer to Huang Qianjun than to her.

Once everything was in order, the group sat at the table in the courtyard, sipped tea, and rested.

Master Su, during my conversation with Zhang Yiren, he made a point of telling me that eight hundred spirit beasts are caged on the first five floors of the tower ship. Cheng Wuyong suddenly spoke up. All of them are from the Bloodthistle Yao Mountain. Theyre all spoils of war captured alive by the Spiritmartial Marquis Greenplate Army. He urged us not to go near them.

Spirit beasts? Su Yi was stunned. Why capture so many beasts alive?

There were numerous inhospitable regions of the Great Zhou. Such places were perilous, and they were typically home to spirit beasts and other yao.

Take the Bloodthistle Yao Mountain the Spiritmartial Marquis was stationed at. It was one of the Great Zhous famed Eight Great Yao Mountains.

The Great Zhou divided Spirit beasts into nine tiers based on their threat level.

Tier-one was the weakest; they were only marginally more powerful than ordinary wild beasts.

Tier-nine was the strongest. Such beasts already had a degree of sentience, and they had innate talent and inborn yao energy. Ordinary Martial Dao Grandmasters would have to run for their lives upon encountering them.

Only Xiantian Martial Ancestors had a fighting chance.

Within the Great Zhou, there were rumors of levels above tier-nine. People said that yaoling, or "yao spirits" existed too. These were terrifying existences capable of contending with Earthly Immortals.

But of course, Su Yi knew that this classification system only applied to the Azure Continent.

In the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, even tiny, ordinary sects could easily dispose of so-called yaoling.

Most of the spirit beasts are headed for the prefectural capital for peak-level factions to purchase. Theyre used as whetstones to sharpen warriors Martial Daos. Factions like Heavens Origin Academy, Blueriver Sword Manor, the Governors Estate, as well as our Yuan Family purchase live beasts from the battlefield year-round, explained Cheng Wuyong. This is common practice throughout the Great Zhou. After all, a warrior whos never experienced bloodshed is unworthy of the title.

When he heard that, Huang Qianjuns face heated up in embarrassment. Despite all his years of life, hed never even seen a spirit beast, much less killed one.

He couldnt help but ask in a whisper, Miss Yuan, have you killed a spirit beast before?

Yuan Luoxi rolled her eyes then said derisively, When I was nine years old, I used a knife to stab a stork spirit to death. From that day forth, Ive been certain to kill a spirit beast of one sort or another once a week. Ive long since lost track of how many yao have perished at my hands. Youre asking if Ive ever killed one before? What a joke!

Her shiny pink lips curved upward with unspoken pride.

Miss Yuan, your words are like a dagger to the heart!?Huang Qianjun felt the sudden urge to cover his face and flee the room.

Chapter end